Fear Factor
by Faith Childrey
Summary: When Lucas and a group of four teenagers become the guinea pigs of a doctor bent on creating a new chemical weapon, how will they save themselves from the horrors of the experiment? FINALLY CHAPTER 9 IS UP!
1. Abduction

Disclaimer: I do not own Seaquest!

10-12-02

Fear Factor - Chapter 1

By Faith Childrey

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Lucas Wolenczak shoved a handful of unfolded clothes into a tattered bag, a smile playing on the sixteen-year-olds face. Three more hours and he'd he out of the ocean and on dry land. A week of fun in the sun and relaxation was definitely the top priority on his mind. The Captain was allowing Lucas to stay with them over shore leave since neither of his parents would be around to keep him.

Throwing in a pair of pants, he zipped up the bag and tossed it on the floor by the door. He turned back to his laptop, noting that there was still a constant stream of information running through the screen. He had been backing up most of his files for safety purposes before it was time to leave the ship. Bridger had made it quite clear that there were to be no electronic devices on this trip. He was being forced to spend all his day outside and getting plenty of exercise.

Sitting down to his computer, his hands flew over the keyboard as the streams of data stopped. There was a small beep and the screen turned a dull black. The teen, pushed down the top and gently placed it in a compartment below his bed. 

He glanced down at his watch, "One fifteen…. Lunch sounds good right about now." Smiling, he stepped out of his quarters and into the hall. A small number of the crew was actually out in the halls. The few who were, were busy checking on the ships wiring and pipes to make sure everything was functional before leave.

It didn't surprise him to see the cafeteria almost completely empty. He grabbed what was available for food, then turned to find a table and sat down. The cafeteria had been left with a small amount of processed sandwiches containing something that looked like baloney. Shrugging, Lucas forced the sandwich down. 

He stumbled as he made his way down the hall. That sandwich was not going down without a fight. Lucas placed a hand over his stomach as if the feel of his hand would make the pain go away. He let out a long breath of air and straitened up, continuing his walk. 

Moaning, Lucas sat on one of the cushioned seats on the launch, leaning against the wall. He actually felt nauseous. Cursing the sandwich one more time, he glanced around the transport pod. He had boarded with Captain Bridger and the other senior officers. 

"You don't look too good, kiddo?" Bridger asked as he took a seat next to the teen.

"I had a fight with my food… or should I say I'm still battling." He grinned as Bridger gave him a small chuckle and a pat on the shoulder.

"Don't worry, it goes away after a few hours." The Captain gave Lucas a wink making him let out a laugh.

"I hope so."

Ben finished the launch preparations, and the launch made its way to the docks.

Bridger pushed the door open to his island house, holding it so Lucas could squeeze in carrying him luggage.

"Go throw your stuff in the guest bedroom, and I'll see what I can cook up for dinner." Lucas gave the older man a nod and quickly hurried off to his room. Nathan couldn't help the smile that played across his face. These next two weeks were going to be great, for himself and Lucas. 

He tossed his own bags into his room, taking a peek in the guest room to see Lucas pulling out his things. He had called ahead to have enough food delivered for them. Nathan rummaged through the cupboards trying to find something suitable for dinner. His hand fell on a long narrow box, and he pulled it down just as the teen entered the kitchen. 

"Spaghetti sound good?" He asked, holding up the unopened box of noodles.

"Sounds great."

Keith stood on the edge of the small yacht. The kid had arrived on schedule, but he couldn't get to him any time soon. He'd have to wait till the kid was alone. No one could see them. 

Lowering the binoculars, Keith turned to check the other two teens that lay unconscious in the dim cabin. The other team would have the other two victims in captivity by now. There was only one more guinea pig for the doctor, then the main part of his job would be over.

Nathan sat on the porch, sipping his cup of dark coffee. The sun was peeking over the horizon, sending warm colors of pinks and oranges across the sky. It was nice to actually be able to sit down and watch the simple things in life for a change. 

He looked up as he heard a shuffling of feet and then the door opening. Lucas stood, still in his pajamas, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

"Good morning. Did you sleep ok?" He asked, as Lucas made his way over to an empty seat next to him.

"Like a log." The blond yawned.

Bridger smiled, "Glad to hear it. Ready for some breakfast? I was thinking about cooking up some eggs, bacon and hash browns."

"That sounds great!"

"Thought it would." Nathan smiled. "How about you make the eggs and I'll do the bacon and hash browns?"

"You got it!"

Breakfast was anything but dull. Lucas had managed to break five large, white eggs into a bowl and was about to do his sixth, when his hit the side of the bowl a little to hard and it went flying off the counter. When the bowl hit the ground, it didn't break, but the impact and momentum of the eggs sent them flying across the room and onto the front of the refrigerator. Nathan had found the incident quite amusing, and was forced to hold the side of the counter to keep from falling to the floor in a fit of laughter.

"I'm stuffed!" Nathan leaned back in his chair, patting is full stomach.

"Me too. I think I'm gonna go sit on the dock and see if Darwin is here yet." Lucas stood and began walking to the door.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" Nathan motioned to the dirty plate on the table, a grin tugging at the corner of his mouth.

Lucas shrugged, grabbing his plate and taking it over to the sink. He washed off the leftover particles off and stuck the plate in the dishwasher. With that over with, he quickly ran outside to find his friend.

Before Lucas even made it to the dock, he could see the gray dorsal fin come up out of the water, then submerge again. The boy smiled, sitting at the edge of the dock and letting his feet dangle into the water. He banged the palm of his hand on the dock and waited. The waves were making it hard to see anything in the water. Water suddenly drenched the boy's face as Darwin popped out in front of him and proceeded to splash him.

"Hey, you! Cut that out!" Lucas yelled playfully. Another wave of water splashed up against him, soaking him completely through. "Ok, that's it!" With that, he pulled off his drenched shirt, tossing it onto the dock, and jumped into the water.

Nathan laughed from his view on the porch. He watched them splash around and chase each other for a little while, before going back inside. This was definitely going to be a great vacation. 

Claudia casually swam her way out into the water. She turned her head to see her boat gently bobbing up and down on the top of the water a good distance away. Turning back to the island, she was almost to the halfway point between the two. The young woman took one more stroke and stopped, checking to see if anyone was around, only spotting the boy. 

Claudia pushed back the few strands of long brown hair from her face before taking in a deep breath and going under. A second later, she came back up splashing frantically.

"HELP~!!!"

Lucas popped up out of the water, letting out a laugh as Darwin bumped into his back. His attention was quickly drawn away from the friendly dolphin when he heard a cry for help come from behind him. It was short and strangled, but definitely noticeable. He quickly turned in the water, his blue eyes searching over its surface until they rested on the form of a person thrashing in the water. 

"Come on, Darwin!" The dolphin quickly swam to his side and he grabbed on to his dorsal fin, then pointed off in the direction they needed to go.

They were at the girls side in just a few seconds. Lucas swam up behind her, grabbing hold of her arms to keep her afloat. 

"Calm down… I got ya!" Hearing his words, she seemed to loosen up a bit. Using one arm, he wrapped around the front of her, then paddled to stay afloat himself with the other. He looked around and saw Darwin circling around to pick them up. 

"My…boat…" Lucas turned to the woman in his arms, then scanned the area and saw the large yacht bobbing up and down not too far away.

"Ok, just relax." Darwin made it to his side and he quickly pointed to the boat, then grabbed onto his friend's fin. 

As the three of them got closer to the boat, Lucas saw two men step out onto the deck. Their eyes widened when they saw the girl in tow.

"What happened!?" The first man, who had long hair tied back into a tight pony tail, said as he leaned over the edge of the boat, lifting the girl up out of the water. The other man with shorter brown hair helped Lucas out and into the boat.

"I…I must have gotten a cramp… If it wasn't for this brave young man here, I would have drowned." She gave Lucas a soft smile, causing him to blush.

"I-It was nothing." He stumbled, "You're ok now right?"

The woman nodded, the smile still on her face. "Yes, I am alright." She suddenly turned her head to one of the men. "Richard, is lunch ready? I would like to invite Mr. … Oh! I forgot to ask your name."

"Lucas, Lucas Wolenczak, But I can't stay for lunch, I have someone waiting for me on the island. Sorry, but I should probably be going now." He turned back to the side of the ship, looking over to see Darwin before she spoke again.

"Oh by I insist." Her voice had taken on a tone that wouldn't take no for an answer. 

Lucas turned back only to see that the two men were now holding guns. He looked to the woman who had a content grin on her face. He felt two pricks of pain in his chest as the two men fired the drugged darts. He fought to stay awake, but quickly found himself consumed by the darkness.

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WHEEEE first chapter of my first Seaquest fic ^________^ I hope yall liked it! If you have any suggestions on my writing and stuff feel free to email me at 


	2. Relization

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Seaquest!

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Fear Factor - Chapter 2

By Faith Childrey

Note: this is in the first season! 

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Nathan stepped out onto the porch. He'd just finished talking with Kristin, checking to see if she had made it to her science conference. He scanned the surface of the water, searching for Lucas and Darwin. Sighing he turned to walk back inside. They were probably off playing, and didn't notice how far from the beach they had gone. 

His attention was suddenly drawn back to the beach as the Darwin came speeding into view, chattering wildly. His brow creased as he strained to see the gray mammal coming up as close to the beach as possible. He saw no sign of the blond haired teen. His heart jumped up into his throat as he ran to the dock.

"Darwin, where's Lucas?" Nathan signed to his friend. He wished they had brought the vocorder with them. He was answered with a quick whip of the dolphin's head to the right, pointing out over the water. Nathan could see no sign of the boy, and turned back to his friend in confusion. Again, Darwin whipped his head to the side, chattering for Bridger to go find Lucas. 

Frustrated, Nathan flung his shirt and shoes off, kneeling down to speak again to the dolphin. "Darwin, can you take me to Lucas?"

Darwin seemed to nod as the clear waves swelled up onto the beach. Nathan nodded and jumped into the cool after noon water. He quickly took hold of Darwin's dorsal fin, and the dolphin took off as fast as he could without losing the captain. 

The two sped through the waters for about a minute. Nathan had expected Darwin to stop and dive down, fearing that Lucas had drowned, but a large, white boat came into view, it hit him what had happened. The boat was moving at a high speed, and Darwin was having trouble catching up with it. 

Sputtering as water slapped at his face, Nathan encouraged Darwin to go faster. The dolphin, acknowledging Nathan, pushed to go faster. Bridger clung to Darwin as water rushed by them faster with the force of Darwin's propulsion. Within five minutes, the two were at the side of the speeding vessel. 

Reaching up with his free hand, Nathan grabbed the side of the boat, letting loose his grip on Darwin's fin. Halfway onto the boat, it hit him that he had no idea what he was going to do when he got all the way on. He would just have to find out when he got up there.

Claudia and Keith were sitting in the main cabin, watching over their captives as they lay unconscious on the floor. There were two boys and one girl, and they had all been reasonably easy to capture. 

Claudia's head snapped out of the magazine she had been reading as her communicator went off. Without hesitation she answered it. It was Richard Clayton calling from the control room.

"Claudia, here."

"It seems we have a visitor. He's just now climbing onto the back."

We'll handle it. Stay on course. Claudia out."

The brunette looked to the man beside her and nodded. They soon moved into action, stepping out of the room and onto the outer deck. 

Nathan had pulled himself onto the deck and froze when he heard a door softly open and close around the corner. Shortly after, he was met with the sight of a rather buff man with long black hair pulled back into a pony tail. The man looked calm, a small smirk on his face. It was obvious to Nathan that this man had no intention of telling him what he needed to know, but he asked anyway.

"What have you done with Lucas?"

The man's smirk disappeared as he quickened his pace towards him. Strong fists rose up, his knuckles cracking as he loosened them up. 

The first swing was easy enough for Nathan to avoid, but as the heavy man rushed past, a fist swung back hitting him off his feet. He caught himself on the cushioned benches lining the back of the boat. Quickly, he turned back to see the man barreling towards him. With lightning speed, Bridger was up, ducking the fist, throwing his own into the man's gut. Spinning towards the man, he lifted his fists up ready to give the man another bashing, but found himself flying backwards as the air was knocked out of him. The man's shoulder had connected, throwing him once again onto the cushioned seats. Before he regain his composure, a large fist smashed into the left side of his face.

Dark spots were filling his vision making it hard to concentrate. The attacker was now lifting him off the bench and into the air. His vision clearing, Nathan was able to catch the site of the boat rushing by as he was hurled into the churning ocean. The cool water rushed around him as he tried to determine up from down. The haze of his mind made it hard to concentrate, and he was running out of air. He reached his hands out, trying to find his balance, when a smooth nose came up against the palm of his hand. _Darwin! _His hand ran down the smooth surface of the dolphin's back to the dorsal fin. Hanging on, the two headed for the surface. 

Nathan gulped in the fresh air when his head broke the surface. He turned to see Darwin floating next to him. The boat was gone, leaving only a foaming wake.

"Damnit!" He smacked his fist against the water in frustration. 

It took him a few seconds to compose himself. He'd have to hurry back to the island and inform his crew about the kidnapping. He just hoped Lucas would be ok until they found him.

He grabbed onto Darwin's dorsal fin and hurriedly swam back to shore.

Tbc…

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Hey guys! Sorry about the delay ^^;;;;; college life kinda got in the way… I still don't know how I found time to finish this one but here it is! Hopefully ill be able to get the next one up. I only have 2 more weeks left but then im off to Cali to meet a friend of mine I met online! WOO HOO!!! *-* Well hope yall enjoyed this chapter!

Next chapter:

The captives find themselves in a strange building, uninformed on how they got there or why they had been taken captive. 


	3. Meetings and Trials

Disclaimer: I don't own sea quest or anything else for that matter ^^;;;

Note: wooooo I think im just writer-happy today. Hopefully I can finish this chapter before I go to bed!!!

Fear Factor

Chapter 3 - Meetings and Trials

By Faith Childrey

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"Life support functional…"

"Energy levels stable…"

"Simulation commence…" 

The room was a dull gray; cold and sterile. Four walls surrounded him, a door to his left. Lucas Wolenczak groaned as he shifted on the hard floor. Pushing himself to his knees, he could survey all of the room, and its inhabitants. Around him, also waking up from unconsciousness, were four other people. Teenagers actually. There were two girls and two other guys. All five of them seemed to have awoken at the same time. 

He watched everyone get into a sitting position, mumbling about their surroundings. There was an odd silence for a few seconds as the teens looked at one another that was broken by the blond girl to his left. 

"What's going on?"

"Got me…" The guy with short brown hair.

"Who are y'all?" The other girl asked. 

Everyone peered around trying to decide who should go first. The guy with shoulder length brown hair pulled back in a pony tail spoke first. 

"David Reford."

"Amanda Noe." The blond spoke.

"Lucas Wolenczak."

"Tippy Johnston." The other girl with shoulder length dirty blond hair answered.

"Adam Caine." 

They'd all gotten to their feet, their eyes surveying the room for cameras or microphones. 

"Hey," Adam spoke up, "David Reford? Aren't you that UEO weapons specialist?"

"Yeah, and you're Adam Caine, UEO mission strategist."

Amanda noted her realization, "And you're Lucas Wolenczak. Seaquest's computer analyst."

"And you're-" Lucas started.

"Amanda Noe, UEO's top martial arts master." He had to chuckle at the girl's energetic attitude.

They all paused, then turned to Tippy, the fifth in their group. 

Adam was the one to speak, "Um…not to be rude or anything, but who are you?"

The girl reddened slightly after hearing about all of their skills. "Um…I'm a uh…student at AppState University… I'm studying to be an elementary teacher if that counts for anything…" She gave them a nervous smile as they all tried to figure out why she was there.

The room had taken on an uncomfortable silence when a loudspeaker in a part of the room came on. "Hello children. I hope you are all feeling quite well?" The voice was high-pitched, like the voice of a cartoon doctor from old kids shows, and he had a sort of face sounding German accent. "You are all wondering why you are here, is that correct?"

"Yeah!" David spoke up, "And how bout you just let us out of here!" 

"Ah, why of course! All you have to do to get out is go through that door!"

They stood silent for a moment, "What's the catch?" David spoke again.

"Hah! Clever one aren't you! The way out _is_ through that door, but behind that door is a maze that you all must get through… then you shall be released."

Adam lowered his voice to speak to the group, "I don't like this, there has to be another door or an exit in this room somewhere."

"Sorry Mr. Caine, but that door is the only way in and out. Surprised I could hear you, yes? I can hear every sound you make! But I would advise you to get a move on. You have very little time without food and water to help you, and this maze could take days." There was a hint of amusement in the man's voice as he spoke. "See you at the end kiddies!" And with that the voice was gone.

"Great… Stuck in a madman's play house." Amanda mused irrelatively. 

"We should probably check the room anyway for ways out. He could have been lying to get us to go through his maze." Adam spoke, searching the walls, ceiling and floor for a possible exit. After about five minutes of group search, they came up with only one answer; the door. 

They all turned to it, not sure what to expect to find on the other side. "Well, looks like the madman wasn't lying. We're going through the maze." Adam admitted. "We don't know what's out there so I suggest David and I take lead, Lucas and Tippy, you two stay in the middle and Amanda you follow behind. If we run into a hostile situation we're gonna need to be prepared." Everyone nodded, taking their places as they began to exit the room. 

Adam grabbed a hold of the door, turning the knob gently and pulling the door open a crack. Peering inside, he could see what looked like an empty hallway. He opened the door the rest of the way, cautiously moving in, followed by David and the rest of the group. The hall was indeed empty; grey walls that turned left at the end. Silently, the group moved down the hall, their eyes darting from the walls to the ceiling, watching for any movement. As they neared the corner, Adam motioned for them to stand against the wall. Carefully, he peered around the corner. Nothing. Satisfied that it was safe enough, he motioned for the others to follow. At the end of this hallway there was a door. Metal, just like the first one. Beside it blinked three colored buttons: blue, green and yellow. The five teens approached the door and stopped. Below the buttons was a sign, more like a puzzle: 

He saw a frog,

That ate the sky, 

Where the canary flies.

"Um… any ideas?" Amanda asked no one in particular.

Lucas stepped forward, squatting to get a better look at the buttons. After a moment he spoke, "It looks like a simplified version of a code system; get the right sequence and the door opens." 

"The answer must have something to do with the lines at the bottom, but what does it have to do with colors?"

Tippy had stepped forward taking the place of Lucas in front of the panel. "He saw a frog, that ate the sky, where the canary flies… sounds like something from a kids book." 

"Since you're gonna be a teacher, got any ideas on what it might mean." Adam asked.

"I think so… but its kind of an easy answer." She turned to look at the group. "Well, the buttons are blue, green and yellow… a frog is green, the sky is blue and the canary is yellow. Seems kinda easy to me."

Adam laughed at his own stupidity. It was too easy, too easy for him to even notice it. "Sounds good to me, try it and lets find out if you're right."

Tippy stood and punched in the sequence from the words. After hitting the yellow, she stepped back as the colors locked in place and the door slid open. 

Stepping aside, she allowed Adam and David to enter the room first. It was a large, square room about the size of a gymnasium. In the center of the room stood a small metal table that seemed to be attached to the floor. As the group walked towards it, they noticed an array of parts arranged on top. David stepped up noting what they were seeing, "Its an AK-47 assault rifle, but it needs to be assembled." 

"I don't know why we'd need it, the-" Adam was cut off as a small, metallic grinding sound filled the room. Everyone fell silent as the noise continued, their eyes darting around the room. Amanda was the first to notice the threat. "SPIDERS!!!!!!" Her scream filled the room as she ran to Tippy, climbing up on her back to get away from the eight legged monstrosities. 

The others turned as saw that from the walls to their left and right were now releasing hundreds of spiders the size of quarters. They were fairly slow in their advancement, but it was still an unnerving site to see. Amanda seemed to be having the hardest time dealing with them. She was glued to Tippy in a piggy-back style watching with eyes the size of saucers as the spiders got closer.

"I think… she's arachnophobia." Tippy observed as the first of the spider army came up and she was forced to step on it. The others had begun smashing the frail creatures that were trying to run up their legs. 

"If this is what's in the room, what's the gun for?" Lucas asked, but soon regretted it as more metallic grinding started up, and a large panel began to slide up at the right side of the room where the door they entered was. Still stomping on the spiders at their feet, they watched for what might come out of the opening, and were rewarded with a long, hairy black leg the length of a mans leg. What followed was even more terrifying. A bulbous head emerged covers in eyes and short slimy fangs for a mouth. The rest of its hulking body followed in a slow, deliberate crawl, and they all new why they needed the gun.

"David, get that thing assembled. It might be the only way to take that thing down." David nodded taking his eyes off the retched creature and to the parts he needed to assemble.

Tippy was having problems keeping Amanda under control. The girl seemed to be having a nervous breakdown as the giant spider crawled closer to the group. Tippy was having problems defending herself from the smaller enemies, some making it to her knee before she could swat them off. She gave out a yelp as one bit the back of her leg and she quickly swiped it away. 

The large spider have halved the distance between them and the wall. All, but David, were backing up. They were trying to stay close enough to the table to assist David if the spider got too close. 

With one last piece snapped in, David jammed the clip into place and took aim. The spider was close enough now for everyone to hear its ragged, hungry breathing, and then there was the clattering of bullets as David began to fire, holes ripping into the thing, hairy torso. The eyes of the creature exploded into goo that ran down its face and onto the spider-covered floor. With one last lurch, the mammoth spider stopped and fell dead in its tracks. 

The clatter of the gun stopped and everything became silent one again. The smaller spiders, seeing their master destroyed began to head back to their holes in fear. 

David lowered the gun and turned to the others. He let out a yelp of pain as he bent down and swatted at a lingering spider on his leg that had had enough courage to get in one last bite of revenge. 

"I hate spiders…" He grumbled to himself before, again turning his attention to the others. Amanda was now back on her own two feet still looking a bit skittish, but otherwise fine. Tippy and Lucas were assessing spider bites they had received during the attack. Adam looked to be fine other than spider guts attached to the bottom of his sneakers. 

"Is everyone alright?" Adam asked.

"Just a few spider bites, Ok otherwise." Lucas answered.

"Me too." Tippy said before turning to Amanda, "How about you?"

The blond let out a breath she seemed to have been holding for a while, "Ya… just a little afraid of spiders is all." 

Tippy gave her a warm smile and gave her a reassuring pat on the back. 

They were about to consider their next move when the speaker came on again. "I see you made it through the first test, I hope it wasn't too frightening for you. You'll notice that there are no doors other than the one you came in. I'm sorry to say the only way to go I through the spider tunnels." Amanda gave a small yelp at this answer. "Oh but don't worry yourselves kiddies, the spiders are all probably hiding…. You know 'more afraid of you than you are of them' am I right? Good luck and safe travels." His cheery voice disappeared again and the group was left to find their way through the darkness of the opening.

Tbc…

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Wow….this is fun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So much better than writing stupid college papers for finals . Anyway I hope yall enjoyed it! Next one should be up soon!

Thanks for reading!!!! 


	4. Onwards and Upwards

Disclaimer: I don't own Seaquest!

Note: *grumbles at herself* ok I just noticed I left Lucas with only his swimsuit on…so to make things a little less complicated lets just say he has clothes on… this is a- oops cant tell you it's a secret you'll have to find out later ^_^

Fear Factor

Chapter 4: Onward and Upward

By Faith Childrey

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Captain Nathan Bridger stood beside the white dock wondering what to do next. After hours of searching, the crew had found the yacht that had taken Lucas. There was no one on board the boat and no signs as to where they had gone. His only option would be to search both land and water areas. 

He had been hoping to hear from the kidnappers. Even if it was just to make their demands at least he'd know Lucas was ok. 

The crew reassembled for their orders. Half of the crew would search on land while the other half took launches to check for underwater hideouts. Nathan had no idea where to start looking, but he knew he couldn't stop until Lucas was found.

The tunnel was dark but there was enough light from behind and ahead to keep from bumping into the spider covered walls. It had taken the group a lot of convincing to get Amanda to go through the tunnel, but with the aide of a blindfold, they were able to lead her through. Lucas's eyes wondered from wall to wall, peering at the spiders as they seemed to be starring back. 

"Creepy…" He shivered. David had taken lead with the AK-47 in hand and ready to blast anything that moved. Adam had taken the back, making sure Amanda was doing ok. 

Tippy was behind, eyes focused on the ground in front of her. From the dim light that was seeping into the tunnel, Lucas could see the unnatural glow on her face caused by a thin layer of sweat. He couldn't see how pale she was, but he had a feeling there was something wrong. Continuing the walk, he had noticed himself getting overly hot and sweaty, not to mention dizzy. 

He looked up to see the end of the tunnel just up ahead. It looked as though it lead into another hallway. David stopped at the edge and peer right then left. Nothing. They all stepped out of the tunnel and into the bright light of the next room. As they exited, Lucas caught site of how pale David looked. He too was sweating. As Tippy emerged, her pallor matched David's. Their eyes were on him as well. 

Amanda exited, followed by Adam, who untied the blindfold. They were about to move on when Adam took notice of their conditions. From what Lucas could see, Amanda and Adam seemed to be just fine. 

"Is everyone ok?" He asked in a serious tone, addressing the three of them. 

There was silence as the three looked to one another, unsure of what to say. "well…" David started, "It seems that the spider bites may have been venomous. You two weren't bitten so you're not affected."

Adam's face was grim as he tried to figure out what they'd have to do next. Hopefully the venom wouldn't be fatal and they'd all bet better in an hour or so. Watching their faces, he could see the slow fatigue that was taking over. They'd have to hurry if they wanted to get out of this place and get them to a hospital.

"Ok, then we're gonna have to hurry if we wanna get out of her. But if you three need to take a break let it be known. You're not gonna help yourself if you collapse. Okay?" He said this last part with meaning, praying that the three wouldn't get any worse.

From the short time they'd known each other, it seemed as if they'd created a trusting friendship. The fact that they were letting him lead was amazing all in its self. 

The three nodded and waited for him to continue on down the hallway. The hallway T-ed at the end, they'd have to make a decision on which direction to take. "Right or left?" The others stood, looking down each hall. To the right, the hall continued and turned left at the end. To the left was a door.

"Left looks ok…" David spoke. "if there's nothing there we can turn back and go right."

"Left sound good?" He asked the others. They nodded, not exactly sure where they were going anyway. Taking lead, Adam made his way to the door. There was not code panel this time, only a silver knob. Carefully he opened it a crack and was surprised to see a tarantula crawl out. Amanda let out a yelp and ran behind everyone to get away from the creature. Adam quickly closed the door before any other spiders could escape. 

"Not that way." He noted, and the group turned to go the other direction.

It had only been five minutes since they stared walking down the right path when Lucas started having trouble catching his breath. The other two seemed to be having the same problem. He couldn't understand why he was so fatigued after only a short time of walking. 

The group was halted by Adam, who had turned to check on the others only to find them trying to keep their balance on the grey walls and out of breath. "Why don't we stop here to rest?" The three where more than happy to take a seat on the cool floor. 

His body was burning, and his head was pounding, not to mention he was having problems seeing straight. Tippy had brought her knees up to her chest and was resting her head atop her folded arms. David had his head leaned up against the wall, staring at the ceiling above them. Across from them stood Amanda and Adam, their faces riddled with concern. There was no possible way they were going to get out of this place alive. They had gone from bad to worse in over five minutes. Who knew what they'd be like an hour from now. Suddenly, his thoughts turned to the Captain. He must be worried sick. He's probably looking for me right now, that is if he knew what happened to me. Lucas let his head lay against his chest, he burning eyes closing for some ounce of relief. 

He wasn't long into his nap when the intercom came on again, waking him and the others out of their troubled doze. "Good morning kiddies. I see that a few of you have had a chance to meet the spider venom, yes? Well leave all your worries behind! I have an antidote just for you." The group stared into the empty area wondering what the madman was talking about. "Mr. Caine, if you would, please press the button to your left." 

Adam turned to see that a small red button was now protruding from the wall. How was this guy doing it? He pressed the button expecting an explosion of some sort, but instead a small tray ejected from the wall. Inside the tray were three syringes filled with an off-white substance. "This medicine will cure the spider bite and let you on you merry way!" The voice chimed again as Adam removed the medicine filled syringes. "Have a nice walk kiddies!" And the voice was gone.

"I wish he'd stop calling us that." David mumbled, but as his eyes fell upon the objects in Adam's had, his eyes widened and he found himself scooting as far from the needles as possible. The others just stared wondering what was wrong. His eyes were glued to the syringes that Adam held, and with this came the realization that David had a fear of needles. 

"What's with the phobia devices?" Amanda asked, shivering from the memory of the spiders.

"Don't know, but it looks like this isn't going to be easy giving him his shot." Adam proceeded to hand Amanda one of the syringes. "Give that one to Tippy. I'll get Lucas, then we'll see about David." The first two were a piece of cake, they were both fast asleep after a few moments, plagued by the earlier fatigue. Now it was David's turn.

David had wedged himself into the corner, his eyes still glued to the syringe in Adam's hand. His breathing became more ragged the closer he and Amanda got.

"David," he spoke soothingly, "You need this medicine ok? You're not going to get better without it. Now, Amanda and I are going to come over to you and I want you to keep your eyes on her. Can you do that for me?" The teen's dark brown eyes were still fixed on the syringe, but slowly he nodded. Amanda went first, kneeling down beside him. Gently, she turned his head so that he was looking at her. Slowly Adam moved in, syringe in hand. David seemed to jump, but was quickly regained by Amanda. 

Adam pulled up the sleeve of David's black T-shirt, looking up to check on him. "Hold real still for me…" And with that Adam gave the shot as quickly as he could. When it was over, David let out a long sigh of relief and closed his eyes. He fell quickly to sleep after the energy he used during the process.

Adam stood, "We'll stay here for a while longer, then we'll try and wake them. Hopefully this stuff with work fast." And with that said, he set the syringes back in their tray.

Dr. McAlivin watched giddily as the teens rested. His plan was working out perfectly. He turned to the gage on his machine and noted that it was a two fifths of the way full. By the time he was done with the teens, he'd be able to take over the world!

He let out a small cackle as he again turned his attention back to the screen.

"Soon…very soon…."

Tbc…

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WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE im loving this!

Hope yall like it as much as I do!

Thanks for reading!


	5. In the Pit

Disclaimer: I don't know Seaquest…

Note: ok….I am having the worst minute right now…. This is the second time I will be writing this chapter. I finished it then it died on me ;.; no saves nothing…. This really bites but I guess it had to happen. Maybe that version wasn't as good as it should have been… well lets try this again shall we!

Fear Factor 

Chapter 5 - In the Pit

By Faith Childrey

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Claudia stood behind the doctor, the glow of the screen shining off her slim features. She watched as the teens stopped to rest. The doctor may have seemed crazy, but his experiment seemed to be working quite well. If she stayed on his good-side there was a possibility of a higher position in her life. This mission was definitely paying back, ten fold. She sat back as the kids proceeded with the doctors little game, enjoying herself immensely.

Tippy woke to a pounding headache. It was nothing compared to before, but it was there none the less. She surveyed the group taking in how everyone was doing. Lucas sat to her left, rubbing at his eyes tiredly. Adam was on the other side, sitting against the wall, concern on his face as she looked to him. 

"How ya feelin'?" He asked with a sympathetic grin.

"Better… heads killin' me, but nothing too bad." She gave him a tired smile and continued her survey of the room. Amanda was at the corner of the hallway where it turned right, looking down into what lay ahead. David was still asleep, tucked into the corner. According to her watch, it had taken a good hour for the medicine to clear up their illness, it wouldn't be long until they were ready to move again.

They only had to wait a few minutes until the weapons expert was shifting and opening his eyes. He sat up stretching and rubbing at his tired eyes. The others had gotten to there feet and Lucas was over helping David get to his feet. "How ya feelin'?"

"Like crap… but otherwise just peachy." He grinned. The others stood at the mouth of the new hallway. It seemed to stretch on forever in a dark void. They couldn't determine where the end was . 

"Anyone here afraid of the dark?" Amanda asked. They all shook their heads no.

Sighing, Adam spoke, "Well looks like we're going straight. I'll lead, Tippy you follow, then Lucas, Amanda and David. Is everyone set?" There were nods all around as they got into their order. 

Walking was pretty easy. The hall had ended a few feet into the darkness and taken a left. The visibility had grown so poor that the group had to link hands, Adam and David feeling there way along the walls. They hadn't gone far when Adam stopped.

"I think I found something," he called over his shoulder.

"What is it?" David asked.

"A button… I think."

"…Push it!" Came David's no-nonsense answer in response.

If it hadn't been so dark, David would have been able to see Adam role his eyes at the almost reckless answer. "…Ok, here goes." He pressed the button and waited for something to explode. Instead, they were all greeted by the flickering on of lights.

"Woohoo!" Came the enthusiastic call of David. The others gave a mental 'woohoo', because only 20 feet ahead of them was a drop off. It was a pit that squared with the walls: 10x10x10. They couldn't see how far down went. Tippy and Adam had moved out ahead of the others when they froze at the sound of metal grinding against metal. Everyone jumped back as a gate came sliding down from the ceiling, separating the group. 

"What the-" The all spoke at once. Tippy and Adam were now on the side with the drop-off, while Lucas, David and Amanda stood stunned on the other side. 

"Look for a switch or something to open this thing." Adam spoke quickly, searching the walls on his side of the room. He almost shouted for joy when he noticed the keys hanging on the wall. He quickly snatched them off and came back to the gate. There was one problem though. There was no key hole. 

"Damnit! Now what?" David grumbled in frustration.

Before anyone could think of a solution there was another sound. It sounded like a rushing river, and they looked to one another in confusion. Their wondering was answered when a saucer sized hole opened up in the ceiling above the gate. They stepped back as the water began to pool around their feel.

"What now…" Tippy whispered, her eyes focused on the hole in the ceiling. A second sound joined the rush of the water, and Adam was the first to realize what was happening. He reached out, grabbing hold of the bared gate in front of him as the floor suddenly dropped into a steep slant. 

"Help!" He whipped his head around to see Tippy sliding towards the pit. He tried to grab her hand before she went over, but she was already too far away and slipping over the edge. 

"Tippy!!!" He yelled as he gazed at the edge in horror until he heard the splash as she hit the bottom. 

The others had been trapped on the other side of the gate when the floor fell on the other side. From the cries coming from the other side, they had a good idea of what may have happened. 

"What happened? Are you two ok?" Lucas called through the rush of the pouring water. 

"Tippy went over the edge!" Came the response from Adam, who was still clinging to the bar. The were all surprised when the water began to let up and the floor started to level out. Adam was on his feet when the floor was finally level, and walked to the edge of the pit, only to fall back a scramble to the gate.

"What happened?" Amanda asked, panic in her voice.

"Nothing…" Adam spoke between gasps, "Just remembered… I'm afraid of heights." 

The others just stared in shock. How were they going to get to Tippy if the only one who could was afraid of heights.

"…Adam..?" Tippy's voice floated up from below.

"Tippy! Are you ok?" Adam called back, as he got to his feet.

"… ya I'm ok… but there's a problem…" She was trying to keep the panic out of her voice.

"What's wrong?"

"… A gate closed after I fell… I can't get back up, and the water is rising."

"oh great…" Adam muttered to himself. He still held the keys he had found. "Hey Tippy, is there a lock you can see on the gate?"

"…Ya!" 

"Ok, just hold tight… I'll c-come down to get you…" He said shakily as he edge closer to the drop-off. Everyone was watching him as he crouched down, and slowly peered over. She was about 50 feet down, the water up to her shoulders. The was a latter that led down to the closed metal gate.

"What's wrong?" She called up.

"Height problems…"

She grinned playfully, "I don't think now's a good time to be worrying about how tall you are." He gave her a wiry smile at her attempts to lighten the mood.

"C-comin' down." His head disappeared and was replaced my his gunk covered sneakers. Slowly, he placed them on the wrung. He let out a shaky breath before lowering to the next, until his hands came over and grabbed the top bar.

"Just don't look down.." he whispered to himself as he slowly began to climb down.

The water was now up to her chin when he made it to the halfway point. She was forced to cling to the gate to stay afloat. "You're doing great, Adam… Not to rush you or anything, but this waters rising fast…"

At that moment, Adam chose to look down. Big mistake. Still not as high as before, the vertigo was too much and he froze, clinging to the bar.

"Adam?" Tippy called up.

"…I-I l-l-looked down-n…" He had stopped moving, now glued to the latter.

Tippy thought frantically about what to do and finally spoke, "Adam, I want you to look at the wall, ok?" There was a slight nod from the frozen teen before his head moved up and stared straight ahead. A few seconds past and he started moving again. 

The water was eye level now, and she had to float on her back to keep her mouth above the water. Adam hit the gate, breathing heavily, hands and knees shaking from the effort. He crouched down to the lock, pulling the keys out of his pocket. There were 6 of them on the ring, and only one of them was going to open the lock. Adam grabbed the first one with a shaky hand, pushing it into the key hole and twisting. Nothing. He quickly pulled it out and moved to the next key. His hands were shaking uncontrollably now and the keys slipped from his grasp. "Shit!" He cursed and he tried to reach for them as the slipped underneath the surface of the water and disappeared. "Nonono noNO!!!" his frantic eyes finding their way to her pale face. He wanted to say something, but before he had the chance, she took a deep breath and pushed herself under the water. 

He didn't know how long it had taken her to resurface, but by the time she came back the water was almost to the gate. She was pressed against it, forcing her way to the air, before reaching her hand through, holding out the lost keys. He grabbed them and began the process over again.

He pulled out the fourth key, cursing to himself as the water had now reached his wrists, and Tippy was stuck under the water running out of air. Two more keys left, he grabbed one and shoved it into the key hole, twisted and nothing happened. He quickly turned it back and pulled, but the key wouldn't move. Dumbfounded, it took him only a second to regroup his hazy mind. He tried pulling again with no success, seconds ticking by that Tippy didn't have. He pulled again with all his strength, straining his muscles before the key came flying out. As quickly as he could he grabbed the last key, jammed it into the key hole, twisted and the lock popped open. He ripped the lock out of the gate, throwing it aside, then grabbed the gate and letting it crash against the wall as he hurled it open. Hands shot up from the water and grabbed on to his as he pulled Tippy from the cold, dark water. She gasped for air as her head broke the surface, coughing out what little water had made its way into her lungs. She collapsed on the gate, breathing heavily, half of her still submerged. Adam sat breathless beside her.

"…thanks…" she spoke in between breaths. He gave her a tired smile before helping her the rest of the way out of the water. Overhead, they could hear the gate being raised into the ceiling and the footsteps of the other group members as they came to the edge of the pit, relief evident on their faces. The two teens sat there a while longer, catching their breath before climbing the later to the top.

Dr. McAlivin sat in front of the screen, giddily watching as the kids regrouped after the frightful event. The keys had made the incident even more exciting. He'd made sure the last key who open it, but the factor of the stuck key had been sheer brilliance on his part. He let out a cackle as he opened the door to the next room.

Tbc…((HELP!- Lucas's phobia is coming up soon and I cant decide what it should be! I have Fire, suffication and possibly his father, but I don't know. If yall have any ideas PLEASE email them to me or leave them in your review! THANKS))

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Ok I saved it so many times now its not even funny, at least this time I wont lose it!

Hope yall enjoyed it ^_^

Thanks for reading!!


	6. Time to Talk

Disclaimer: I don't own Seaquest!

Note: I hate having to write all this at one time but if I don't ill never finish this thing x.x Im having a few writers block issues but I may have sorted a couple of them out. If you have any ideas on the Lucas phobia pleeeeeeeease do tell!

Fear Factor

Chapter 6 - Time to Talk

By Faith Childrey

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The sun had finally set over the horizon, leaving the sky a dingy dark blue. The search had grown larger as information about the four other teens who had been kidnapped came in. Five kids were now missing and there were no clues as to where they had been taken. 

Nathan rubbed the bridge of his nose. They had been search for almost ten hours now. They weren't going to get anywhere searching in the dark. It was time to head back to the ship and see what information they had. 

Lucas followed David through the door that had opened just after Tippy and Adam were back at the top of the pit. It led into a large room like the one they had awoken in. along the walls were five metal frame beds. The others followed after, Tippy and Adam shivering from their wet clothes. As Amanda entered last, the door behind them slammed shut, giving them no exit from the room. Not surprised, they started looking around the room. The beds were plain metal with a worn out mattress.

"Looks like something from my d-dorm." Tippy pointed out. 

As if on cue, the intercom buzzed on, "You are correct, Ms. Johnston. I hope they make you feel at home, I know you must miss you own dorm bed right now," the voice teased. "Once again, I'm happy to see everyone healthy! But now its time to sleep. You can't expect me to stay up and send you kiddies through more doors now can you? There are no exits from this room at the moment, so I suggest you all get a good nights rest. See you in the morning!" The madman let out a little giggle before the intercom went silent.

Lucas let out a tired breath as he sat down on one of the beds. He turned to see David and Amanda do the same. Adam and Tippy had found their beds, taking off their soggy shoes and socks. Lucas blinked as he noticed something. They were all wearing the same type of clothing. Shorts and a t-shirt. They were different colors, but very much the same. And wasn't he swimming before all this happened? 

"Hey guys, do you notice anything odd about what we're wearing?" He asked the group. They all looked at one another, check out each outfit. Realization came quickly.

"Why is it all the same???" Amanda asked. She and Tippy were wearing green khaki shorts with Tippy in a dark blue top and her in a black on. Adam, Lucas and David were wearing tan khaki shorts that came to the knee, David in a black tee, Lucas in a dingy orange, and Adam in a red. She was amazed she'd not noticed this earlier. 

"What does this mean?" Tippy asked. 

"I'm not sure." Lucas spoke, "But there's definitely something strange about this place. Some of it isn't possible. There are no spiders I can think of that grow that size."

"And then there's the fact that things keep disappearing from the walls," Adam indicated, "Unless this place is wired to the core, there's no way this stuff could be real."

"But we feel it, right?" Tippy questioned.

There was silence as Lucas tried to understand what was happening. Finally, he turned to David, "Still got the gun?"

David raised the AK-47 up indicating he did.

"Try shooting out part of the wall where the door was." David nod and walked up to the wall, raising the gun. It clattered to life as he let the rounds smash into the wall, but nothing was happening. He took his finger off the trigger and crouched down in front of the wall. 

"Not even a scratch."Lucas stood and walked over to the wall. The wall was a grey, stone surface and should have easily been damaged by the assault. He finally stood again and turned to the others.

"I think we're in some kind of virtual reality simulation. I haven't heard of any that can produce pain like this one, its definitely not reality."

"No way!" Amanda chimed. 

"Is there any way we can bypass this guy's system and get out of here?" Adam asked.

"Without any equipment, I can't hack into the system." The groups faces fell at the thought of having to go through with the madman's maze. "The only thing I can think of," Lucas began, "is to make it to the end. There should be a system box that shuts down the simulation." 

"Well, it seems we have no choice, but to keep going. We've already been through tree phobias. Tippy and Lucas, you two seem to be the last ones left." Adam turned to them. "Any ideas on what they might be." 

"No idea here." Lucas admitted. 

They turned to Tippy who was sitting on the bed, her cheeks flushing slightly. "Tippy?" Adam asked from the bed to her right.

"I have one idea of what it might be…" she spoke timidly.

"And that would be?" 

She let out a breath and mumbled something no one could hear.

"Say again?" David asked.

"…balloons…" The group stood in silence that was broken by Adam.

"Well, it shouldn't be too hard to get through. I mean balloons aren't dangerous are they?" He tried to comfort.

"I don't know about that." She laughed nervously.

Adam let out a breath before speaking again. "Well lets just try to get some sleep. We'll deal with whatever's next in the morning."

The group nodded, David and Lucas heading back to their beds. Unfortunately, they were void of blankets and pillows. It was going to be a rough night.

Dr. McAlivin let out an annoyed sigh. The teens had figured out his little game, but no matter. They'd still have to get through the phases, and he'd get his chemicals. The level was a little over three fifths now. Surely tomorrow would complete his plans and he could execute his scheme on the world. Everything was going his way.

Tbc…

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Wheee there's chapter 6 hope yall liked it! I hope it explains a bit that I missed x.x the end of this fic is still a bit fuzzy to me but hopefully it will work out! Thanks for reading guys!!!! 


	7. Snap, Crackle, Pop

Disclaimer: I don't know Seaquest!

Note: ok even though I still don't know what im gonna do to Lucas, heres chapter 7 just to keep me from going insane x.x

Fear Factor

Chapter 7 - Snap, Crackle, Pop

By Faith Childrey

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Keith Daniels sat watching the motionless teens that lay upon the tables. They had been strapped into the simulator since arrival to the base. His job had become dull and pointless. Not only was there no action, the teens were basically sleeping. They weren't going anywhere. He signed, leaning against the desk. This job sucked.

It was 6:30 in the morning and Tippy was wide awake. The hard mattresses weren't helping any. She decided she might as well get up and try to figure out what might happen next. She sat on her bed, her chin resting in her hand. Balloons really shouldn't be that big a deal, but for some reason she wasn't looking forward to the new room. 

She was so lost in her own thoughts that she didn't see Lucas walk over to the bed. She startled slightly as he sat down next to her.

"You ok?" He whispered, trying not to disturb the others. She nodded, turning her gaze back to the floor. "Can I ask you something?" He spoke after a short moment. Again she nodded. "What's Tippy stand for?"

She had to suppress a giggle at his question, but turned and whispered, "Tiffany."

"Oh. Thought so." He gave her a smile. "So, how'd they get you, if you don't mind me askin'…"

"I was on vacation with my parents. My dad works with a UEO pharmaceutical company and as his bonus, we got a trip to the beach." 

"Sounds familiar. I was on leave with Captain Bridger." Lucas paused. She was hiding her fear pretty well. If not for that fact that she wouldn't look at him, he wouldn't have noticed. "Ya know what," he started, "If I know the captain, he's probably ripping things apart trying to rind us."

"Really?" Came her whispered reply.

"Yeah, he's got the Seaquest, there's no way these guys can stay hidden forever."

She gave him a small smile and was about to say something else when the intercom buzzed on. "Rise and shine kiddies! Its time to start a brand new day!" 

Tippy let out a groan at the too familiar voice. The others had awoken, sitting up in their beds, trying to rub the sleep out of their eyes. The lights flickered on, and everyone could see the door that stood in the far right hand corner of the room. 

"Lets get moving everyone. You're almost through!" His cheery voice was anything but encouraging. "Have fun!" And he was gone.

Adam sighed as he stood and stretched. His and Tippy's shoes were still damp, squishing as the put them on. "I hate wet shoes." He grumbled, joining the group in front of the door. They were all looking to him for instructions. "Ok Tippy and Lucas should stay in the middle since they are the next two phobias. Amanda and I will lead. David, you cover the back. Lets try to think ahead of this guy." Everyone nodded. He turned to the door, turning the handle and pulling it open. It was another hallway leading straight. From where they stood, they could see no doors, only a turn to the left up ahead. 

Adam went first, followed by Amanda. The hallway was pretty skinny, forcing them to walk single file into the dimly lit hall. She was alert, searching for anything that might move or come crashing down on someone. They had made it past the first turn into another hallway that ended at a right turn.

They were half way down the hall went Tippy felt small hands grab her arm. The attack was so fast that she only had time to let out a yelp as she was pulled from the hallway and into another room. Six small hands were now attached to each arm, pulling her backwards, farther into the bright room. She collapse backwards when the backs of her legs were knocked out by the edge of a chair. She now sat in a large rocking chair, wrists locked down on each of the arm rests by metal bands, and around her stood six children about the age of five. 

"H-hi…"

The others stood outside in the hall, unsure what had just happened. Tippy had been walking in front of David and then been sucked through a wall on the left. They had tried finding the doorway, but the only thing there was a rock solid wall.

"Tippy!" Adam called, hoping she could hear him through the wall. There was a long pause before they all heard her reply.

"STOP IT!!!!" 

She sat there silently, looking at the three boys and three girls that stood in front of her. They all wore the same outfits, boys wearing blue overalls with yellow shirts, and girls wearing purple dresses with bows in their hair. They were silent as if waiting for something to happen when, above her a large hole opened up and out fell inflated balloons of all different colors. Her breathing quickened as she saw one of the boys step forward and pick up a large red balloon. He came and stood in front of her, arms out stretched and balloon in hand, and he began to squeeze.

"Please stop that!" She begged hoping it would work and the boy would drop the balloon. She knew he wouldn't of course. Involuntarily, she pulled her legs up into the chair, unable to cover her ears. She tried to curl up into a ball as the boys fingers grew tighter around the balloon. She jumped as it popped in his hands. Letting out a breath she looked up. The others had still not moved. Over head she heard the intercom turn on. "Hello, Ms. Johnston! Here's the little game I've made up just for you. Now these children with grab balloons and pop them for you. Inside one of the balloons is a piece of paper. On the paper is a word, or a password you might say. When you find the password, just yell it out and your friends will be let in!" She sat shivering in the chair, her hole form quaking with fear. "Good Luck!" the voice called and was gone.

Suddenly, all the children were in action, grabbing balloons and standing in front of her ready to pop them. "STOP IT!!!!!!" 

All around her there were explosions as the children's tiny fingers dug into the rubber. She wanted to close her eyes and just curl into a ball and ignore it all, but none of this would stop if she didn't try to find the password. Seven balloons were gone and six more were coming. She couldn't help the tears that started to run down her face as the children again began squeezing the rubber balloons. They all popped, the noise piercing her mind. Another six gone and six more coming. Her eyes darted around the piles of dead balloons searching for the password. Six more popped and the children were going back for more. 

She had lost count somewhere along the way, but if she guessed she say about 60 balloons were gone and still no password. Her face glistened with tears as the children returned again with new balloons in hand. Her eyes followed each child and their balloon. Six more gone. As she watched the exploded pieces fall she caught sight of white floating down. Her heart almost burst when she saw it, but as it hit the ground, her hopes sank. It had been turned upside down and she couldn't see the word. The children were returning with their balloons. Quickly she stuck her foot out kicking at the paper and trying to turn it over. The children were squeezing the balloons now, the forms distorting in their hands. The loud pop rang through her ears and she yelp as she kicked at the paper again. To her amazement, the sheet had flip itself only to be covered with the shreds of a busted balloon. She let out a frustrated cry as she again kicked at it, hanging out of the wooden rocker. With one last kick before the children returned, the paper was uncovered. She read the word quickly and turned her gaze to the ceiling.

"FEAR! THE PASSWORD IS FEAR!" Suddenly, the children stopped, dropping their balloons and fading away. She collapsed into the chair, breathing heavily, tear streaks running down her face. A panel in the wall slid up, revealing the hall her friends stood in.

They ran in, kick aside balloons as they came. Tippy had her face buried in the bend of her elbow. Her whole body was shaking as they came over and removed the metal restraints. 

Lucas bent down in front of her, placing a hand on her arm, "Are you ok?"

She was silent for a few moments, her breathing evening out. Finally she spoke, "And to think, I'm gonna be a teacher." They all gave a sympathetic smile as she began to laugh soft, raising her head and wiping away the silvery streaks. "Lets get out of here." And with that said they all turned and headed back into the hallway.

"Only one more to go!" the doctor cooed. There was now only one fifth of the tank that needed to be filled, and that would be graciously donated by Mr. Wolenczak. He grinned and watched as they headed down the dim hallway.

Tbc…

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Okay that may be it for a little while or until I can figure out what to do with Lucas. So if yall have ideas PLEASE LET ME KNOW!

Thanks for reading!!!


	8. Pain!

Disclaimer: I don't own Seaquest!

Note: *huffles* I just wanna write x.x ok ive decided on a phobia that may not correspond with the series, but with many fan fictions this will work perfectly for all the ELF members ^_^!

Fear Factor

Chapter 8 - Pain!

By Faith Childrey

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David could see how much Tippy was still shaking as the moved down the hall. It had lessened a lot since they found her, but from the soft shallow breaths and her arms wrapped tightly around her chest, he could see she was still have problems. He walked up behind her, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. She turned and gave have a warm, tired smile. She let out a long breath and attempted to get herself back together. 

The hall was coming to an end at what looked like the final room. Lucas was the only one left of the group to still have to go through the phobia torture. The group slowed as they made their way to the entrance of the room. Inside, along the far wall, stood five tall boxes, big enough to hold a full grown man. 

"You sure you don't know what your phobia is?" Adam asked over his shoulder as he checked the room.

"I can't think of anything… what do you see?" Lucas answered.

"Nothing… it looks ok so far…let move." Slowly, Adam led the team into the large, bright room. The boxes across the room looked to be color coded, and the letters that were attached to each box helped to figure out what they were for. There were two black boxes, the letter A on one and D on the other. A dark blue one with the letter T, a dingy orange one with the letter L and a red with the letter A. 

"Are you claustrophobic?" Amanda asked as she stood next to the confused Lucas. 

"I live on a submarine, I know I'm not claustrophobic…"

"Maybe we should check out the room a little more." David suggested. 

Adam nodded, "You three check out the south end, Tippy and I will check out the north. Meet back in the middle." They nodded, moving to their sections in groups. 

There wasn't much to see around the room, just the walls and the five boxes. After a few minutes of searching, they were back in the middle. There was nothing to report. They were faced with the boxes. 

"I say we open them all one at a time, that way if anything does pop out at us, we can all kick its butt." Amanda suggested. 

They all looked to one another. It sounded like a plan. After a moment of discussion it was decided, they would open the boxes. Starting at the end with Amanda's, they all stood around her as she pulled it open. They were relieved to see that it was empty. The next box belonged to David. He slowly open his and was met with nothing. Tippy's was next and again there was nothing to see. They were now on Lucas's box. Everyone was silent as he stepped up to the orange box. His heart was pounding as his hand touched the side of the wooden box and he slowly opened it. They all stood stunned to see that the box was full of nothing.

"Odd…" He stepped back and allowed Adam to open the last, and like the others it was empty. "I don't get it…"

Everyone was silent for a long time. Nothing moved, nothing screamed or breathed. There was nothing in the room. "What's going on here?" David called, hoping the annoying voice might tell them something. That they had made it to the end and all they had to do was click their heals and they'd be home, but there was nothing, only silence. Frustrated, they all turned back to the colored boxes and gasped as they saw five men come flying out. All of them looked the same, all but one. He wasn't much taller than them. His hair was short and a dingy, dark brown, and he had a crooked grin playing across his face. 

The group was unable to Lucas's shocked for stumble backwards, as the five body-builder sized men rushed forward. The AK-47 crashed to the floor as one of the towering figures tackled David to the floor. One of the other men had Tippy in a bear hug, her legs kicking at anything she could hit. Adam had been knocked backwards as one of the giants shouldered him in the gut, causing him to gasp for air. Amanda had managed to out-maneuver her attacker, ducking under its flying arms. Her attempts were useless unfortunately as the inhuman being snatched her shoulder with incredible speed. She was easily yanked off her feet and restrained by the emotionless figure. 

Lucas shuffled backwards, unable to keep his eyes off the figure that approached. Painful memories were flashing through his mind as the man's hands clenched into fists, the smug grin still on his face, and he spoke, "Hello, Lucas…"

"…D-dad… w-what are you d-doing?" His heart was racing as his father continued his advance, and suddenly Lucas ran out of floor. He was now pressed up against the cold wall, the figure of his father stopping inches away, his form towering over the teen. 

"You've been a very bad boy, Lucas." He wanted to run, his mind telling him what he knew was coming, but his legs had become numb with fear. "And for that you must be punished." Lawrence sneered, and with one quick blow, smashed his fist into the frightened teens stomach. 

The others, now restrained by the overly strong men, stared silently as their friend fell to his knees, his "father" stepping to the side as Lucas gasped for breath. Amanda watched to scream as she saw the man pull his booted foot back, but the blow was too quick and the blond teen was sent sliding across the room, gripping his bludgeoned ribs. He now lay on his side, his pain filled eyes brimming with tears. The man was walking towards the fallen teen, his footsteps slow and deliberate. 

Lucas tried to push himself away, his breaths coming out ragged and uneven as he heart felt like it would explode. His father was only a few feet away when the intercom came on, the madman sounding as giddy as ever, "I must thank you children for all the hard work you've done! It seems I have gotten all I need from you!" He paused the teens hoping that this was now all over and they could leave. "But I'm sad to say that you all must die now… Truly this has been a must interesting game! Sorry for this, but I must be off! Good bye kiddies!" Wide, unbelieving eyes were raised to the ceiling as the intercom shut off for what they understood would be the last time. The figure standing in front of him began to move again, the grin disappearing as his face became cold and unemotional. A large hand wrapped around Lucas's arm as he tried to scramble away, pulling him roughly to his feet. Before he could do anything to stop it, he was being slammed against the wall, a hand wrapped around his throat. He began to claw at the hand as the fingers tightened, cutting off his airway. Black spots were bursting in front of his eyes as his air way was closed, causing him to franticly try to force in air. The only thing he could manage was a choking gasp. His fingers dug into the flesh of the hand that was pushing hard against his throat, but his efforts were getting weaker as the darkness began to seep in.

Keith stood with Claudia and the doctor. The fear tank was now full and the teens were being dealt with. He watched as the doctor marveled at his own genius, fiddling with his machine. He placed the filled tank inside what looked like a nuclear war head, locking it into place. Claudia also seemed to be enjoying herself, a content grin on her face. Apparently her job had been a lot more exciting than his. 

He watched as the doctor pulled out a small vile, placing it under the "fear tap" as he liked to call it. It was instantly filled with the remaining terror being sucked from the teens. Keith suddenly became a bit nervous as a spray nozzle was added to the small tub, a sly grin playing on the doctor's face. Apparently, Claudia was in her own little world as the doctor quickly stepped forward and released a mist in her face. Shocked by the sudden attack, she stumbled back swiping at her face. It only took a few seconds before she began to shake, her eyes wide in terror. 

"Get AWAY!" She screamed as the doctor took a step forward.

Keith stared in shock as the woman shrank away, curling up in fear. All at once it became clear how insane the doctor really was. Quickly, he turned, sprinting out the door towards the launch bay. 

Jumping into the small, underwater craft, he opened the outer hatch, powering up the ship and moving out, "Screw the money. I'm not becoming on of his guinea pigs!" 

The shuttle moved into the open waters, unaware that it was being watched.

"Captain!" Ortiz called over his shoulder.

"What have you found?" Bridger replied from his place at the helm.

"We've got conformation on an unknown craft leaving the ocean floor."

"Get a lock on it and bring it in. Find out where it came from. If could be our only clue to finding the kids." He prayed they had found what they were searching for.

David struggled against the vice grip of the giant. They were all in the strong bear hugs, being slowly crushed by the monstrous body builders. He could see the AK-47 still laying untouched on the floor just a few feet of the groups. Amanda was the closest. 

Gritting his teeth as he tried to muster up the breath he yelled to her, "Amanda! The…GUN!" He could see the understanding on her face as her small frame moved slightly and one leg came flying up, smashing into the emotionless face of the giant. The nose snapped and the arms loosened, giving Amanda an opportunity. She dropped down from the monsters hold, springing forward. The gun was in her hands as the towering figure reached down and grabbed her ankle in an attempt to retrieve what it had lost. The gun was aimed and fired, a massive hole blossoming from the creatures forehead, and it vanished, leaving only four of the enemies. 

Her gaze quickly turned to Lucas. The figure stood over his coughing, gasping form, boot raised for another devastating blow. She took aim and fired, the fleshy chin of the man tearing off in the blast, revealing an empty black hole in its place. The boot came crashing down into Lucas's chest, his "father" unfazed by the hideous wound. She fired again, the bullet smashing into the right temple in an explosion of tattered flesh. Quickly, she turned to the rest of the team, half conscious as the monsters' grips remained tight around their chests. She aimed as best she could, the gun dwarfing her form. One shot fired and the monster holding Tippy was down, her form collapsing to the floor, gasping for air. Another shot and David was free, coughing and hugging his chest. The first shot to Adam's monster went high, taking off a chunk of its ear. The second one hit, smashing into the eye socket, white goo running down its lifeless face, and Adam was dropped.

His mind was dizzy with pain. It was hard to breath and his chest was burning. He tried to role over on his back, but the movement sent biting pain through his form. Tears fell from the corners of his closed lids, falling to the floor. He was unaware that the others had made their way to him aching body, their eyes moving sympathetically over his, examining the injuries. They were all sitting around him now, their faces portraying the exhaustion they felt after their ordeal. Lucas could feel himself slipping away into darkness, his thoughts buzzing through his mind. _Can you die in a computer simulated world…why does it hurt so much…Captain…_ and with that last thought unconsciousness claimed him.

Tbc…

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Hey guys! I hope you liked this one. It was hard x.x I think im gonna try and explain why Lucas was afraid of his dad later… soooooooo ya don't worry itll all be happy ^_^

Thanks for reading! 


	9. AN

Authors note!!!!

Hey guys!!! Well finals have arrived and ill be stuck studying for the next week, and the week after that I'll be in California visiting a friend ^_^ Sooo I'm not going to be able to get to the next chapter for a while. 2 weeks at least. So you're all gonna have to use your imaginations to figure out what's going to happen next ^_^ there should be 2 more chapters left and this fic will be over! Well hope yall are liking it! Ill try and update ASAP!

Faith

"Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest." - Matthew 12:28


	10. AU

Hey everyone, sorry this is probably kinda disappointing, but I figured I should tell yall whats going on. Well im kinda in a writers drag faze. I have the ideas I just cant right. Im hoping to continue working on it soon but its getting difficult ^^;;;;; 

Well to atleast give me something to think about, I need yalls help. Im having problems figuring out a way to get all the kids out of the system. Any ideas would be veeeeeeeeery welcome. Just email me with your ideas and maybe ill be inspired to write ^_^;;;; THANKS EVERYONE!


	11. Rescue?

Disclaimer: I don't own Seaquest!

Note: if this isn't the last chapter then there will only be one after this ^_^ I hope….

Fear Factor

Chapter 9 - Threat Comes to an End

By Faith Childrey

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Bridger stared down at the man with the long, dark pony tale sitting in front of him. The small craft had been easy enough to catch, but they had lost the area of its departure. 

"Where are they?" He questioned the man for the third time. The man's response was again the same quiet glare. Bridger was becoming impatient. Lucas and the other kids were still out there in the hands of who knows what and this guys trying to play mister quiet. "Look! Those kids are in trouble and you know where they are. If you refuse to tell me where they are I'll make sure you're sentence is more than just a kidnapping charge."

"You're bluffing!" The man hissed.

"Oh am I? How does a life sentence for the murder of 5 Teenagers sound? Not to mention Attempted murder of a UEO captain. Is it really worth it?" Bridger was looking eye to eye with the silent man, he wasn't bluffing.

After a few tense moments the man spoke, "I'll tell you…"

Bridger grabbed the pad of paper from the nearby desk, writing down the co-ordinates and password as the man spoke. After he was finished, he ordered that the prisoner be taken to the brig. He was one step closer to finding Lucas.

They had to use the shuttle that had been captured to enter the hidden base. Fear was the password that opened the small hatch to the base allowing only an foot of space for mistakes. Bridger, Ford, Ortiz and Ben were the only ones aboard, guns ready as Ben shut down the crafts thrusters. Within seconds, they had piled out of the vessel and were headed through the closed hatch that would lead into the main computer room. Bridger pushed it open, stepping into the dimly lit room. On the far wall were six screens, all showing images of rooms. There was a keyboard attached to the wall under the screens. As they walked farther into the room, they could hear the rapid breathing of a human. Turning quickly too their right they found Claudia, curled up in a ball, eyes wide with fright. Ford bent down to touch the woman's arm, but she gasped and quickly scrambled away. 

"Wonder what happened to her…" Ortiz spoke from behind the confused Ford. Their attention was quickly changed when Ben spoke from in front of the screens.

"Oh no, Lucas…" Captain Bridger was standing beside him in an instant, his eyes turning to the screen. Laying motionless on his back was Lucas. Surrounding him were the four other teens. They all looked as if they were on the verge of collapsing. "Where are they?" Ben asked staring at the picture on the screen. 

"I don't know, but we're not going to find them any faster standing around her. Commander Ford, you and Ortiz follow after the woman, see if she knows anything. Lt. Krieg and I will check the through that door." He pointed to the door they had passed on the way in. The others nodded and were off. 

The door opened onto a hall that widened to the left into a room up ahead. The sound of machinery echoed off the walls as they slowly moved in, guns raised Krieg went first, pressing against the cool metal wall as he slowly peered around the corner. What greeted him was enough to cause his gun to lower. He stepped out quickly, raising the gun again, sweeping the room for anything hostile. Bridger followed after, his gaze falling on what had surprised Ben. 

Ahead of the two men were five metal tables, three on one side and two on the other. Atop these tables lay the five teens, hooked up to machines that filled the room with buzzing and beeping. Noting that the area was clear, the two men quickly approached the unconscious teenagers. The machinery surrounding the group seemed to be various life-support systems. Along with the devices were what looked to be headphones placed over each of the teens temples. Bridger reached out to the table Lucas lay on, silent and still, placing the tips of his fingers on the boy's brow. Ben moved around the room checking the other teens. 

"They all seem to be sleeping." He observed the teens face, noticing the bruising that had started to form around his neck. Slender finger marks that wrapped around it like he had been, "choked…"

"What was that, Captain?" Ben had turned from where he stood at the far side of the room. Suddenly his expression fell, his arms trying to raise the gun he held, but it was too late. A mist splashed into his face, and he was unable to do anything about it. He stood stunned, unsure of what had happened, but slowly a fear he had never experienced before began to creep into his mind.

Bridger couldn't believe or even understand what was happening. There had been a quick spray of something towards the Lt., followed by an unusual behavior. Krieg's form sank to the floor, eyes wide with fright, staring at something Bridger couldn't see. "What is it, Ben?" His eyes widened, then creased into slits of anger as a thin, white haired man stepped out of the shadows, holding what looked like a spray tube. "Who are you?"

The doctor grinned as he walked around the tables, vile raised and now a small pistol. Captain Bridger had no where to run now. The kiddies would never wake up, and his device for world domination was complete. "Why, Captain, I'm sure a man such as yourself would have heard of the brilliant Dr. McAlivin."

"McAlivin? Yeah, I've heard of you. You were a UEO scientist who was thrown out after you used some of the other scientists children as guinea pigs in you experiments." Bridger hissed, the anger evident in his words.

"Those fools couldn't see the genius of my ideas, but that no longer matters. I have succeeded in creating the end of this world as you know it." The doctor gloated.

"What do you mean?"

"Simple, my fear formula will cover the world, infecting everyone, except me of course. Then the world will be mine."

"Sounds like every other mad quack's pathetic goal." Both men turned to see Commander Ford and Ortiz standing at the entrance, guns raised. The woman was with them, handcuffed and not shriveling with fear.

"No!" The doctor hissed. "It wasn't supposed to be temporary."

Bridger took the opening, grabbing the gun and slamming his fist into the doctor's face, sending the man off his feet. In an instant the doctor was handcuffed.

Ford had control of the prisoners as Bridger and Ortiz hurried over to check on Krieg. The man was still petrified from the gas the doctor had used on him, but from what they saw with the woman, the effects wouldn't take long to disappear. 

"Stay with him, I'm going to go see if the doctor can release the kids." Ortiz gave him a nod and stood, walking over to where the commander had the captives. "Ok, McAlivin… I want those children out of that machine." 

The doctor scoffed at the ridiculous order. "I don't think so Captain, if I'm going down then the kiddies are going with me!"

Bridger bit back a few words he would have liked to beat into the doctor, but wasn't able to continue the command as the woman spoke up. 

"I'll do it," she grinned, "payback for the doctors little experimentation on me."

The doctor cursed at her sharply, struggling against the commanders grip as if it would stop her from ruining some part of his life.

The captain un-cuffed her and followed her over to a computer console next to the teens. She took the nearest seat glancing at the video screen. The teens were still conscious, save Lucas who hadn't moved since they had arrived.

"Is there a way to talk to them?" Bridger asked.

"There's a microphone," she pointed to the small, pen-like device protruding from the console, "I should patch you into the room automatically."

The Captain gave a nod, then turned back to the screen speaking into the device. "Hello? Can you hear me?" He was rewarded with surprised glances from the four teens, searching for the voice.

"Yes we hear you." The boy wearing the red t-shirt spoke.

"This Captain Bridger of Seaquest. We've come to rescue you. Is everyone ok?"

The captain watched as Red turned back to the others, seeming to check out everyone, then turning his gaze back. "Everyone's banged up. Lucas isn't doing to well, he got beat up pretty badly."

Bridger frowned and turned back to Claudia, "How soon can you get them out of there?"

"It shouldn't take more than a minute. I have to log them out one at a time or the system will crash."

Bridger nodded and turned back to the microphone, "Ok, we're going to get you out of there, but its going to have to be one at a time."

They all nodded then turned to Lucas, their expressions conveying the same thing. Red turned back to the screen and spoke, "Get Lucas out first."

Bridger nodded to Claudia, "You got it, we'll have you all out and safe soon." He watched as the teens nodded.

Claudia was typing the codes into the computer to retrieve Lucas, when a small alarm blared on. The captain looked to Claudia who now had a confused expression playing on her face.

"What's going on?" Ortiz questioned, walking over, followed by a recovered Krieg. Bridger was standing behind Claudia, eyes fixated on the warning flashing on the screen.

"It's a back up against anyone trying to get them out." Claudia informed the group, glaring at the doctor's delighted expression.

"What does it mean? Can you still get them out?" Krieg questioned.

"I think so, it doesn't affect anything on our side, but it might cause some problems on their side."

Bridger looked to the screen picturing the group of teens, his features pale. From their expressions, something was definitely wrong.

Tbc…

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DARN IT! I get one new idea and it sends me off into new directions x.x I have no idea when this story will be over but im hopping soon… for yall's sake x.x Im back in school so I have more time to just sit and write, maybe that'll help ^^ well I hope you enjoyed this one! Hopefully the next one will be up soon ^_^

Thanks for reading!


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